Aeris Resources continues to hit significant high-grade gold intersections at its Golden Plateau deposit, validating its geological model and setting the stage for a resource update in FY27.
- Multiple high-grade gold intersections across Main, North, East lodes
- Drilling validates geological model with mineralisation at predicted positions
- Drill program 75% complete with ~14,000m planned
- Resource update targeted in first half FY27 to support economic assessment
- Remnant mineralisation adjacent to historical stoping areas confirmed
High-Grade Gold Intersections Reinforce Golden Plateau Potential
Aeris Resources Limited (ASX:AIS) has delivered another round of impressive gold drill results from its Golden Plateau deposit in Queensland, underscoring the deposit’s remnant high-grade potential. The standout intercept came from drill hole GPS160, which returned 14.2 metres at 9.1 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, including a 4.1-metre zone grading 26.6 g/t Au within the Main lode. This result, among others, reinforces confidence in the geological model and the untapped mineralisation adjacent to historical underground workings.
Geological Model Holds Firm Across Multiple Lodes
Drilling to date has validated Aeris’s geological interpretation across the Main, North, and East lodes, with mineralisation consistently intersected at predicted positions. The Main lode, the most significant historically mined structure, extends roughly 400 metres along strike and 250 metres down dip. Recent drill holes have intersected broad zones of stockwork mineralisation containing internal higher-grade shoots, confirming continuity within the interpreted structural corridor. Notable high-grade intersections include 2.5 metres at 8.9 g/t Au (GPS148), 6.7 metres at 5.2 g/t Au (GPS168), and a longer 32.2-metre interval at 1.4 g/t Au (GPS171).
Expanding Drilling Program Targets Remnant Zones
The drill program, expanded from an initial 6,400 metres to approximately 14,000 metres, is about 75% complete with 55 holes drilled so far. The focus remains on testing remnant mineralisation surrounding historical stoping voids and extending known lodes. Encouraging results from the North lode include 2.1 metres at 4.4 g/t Au (GPS171), while the East lode showed broad stockwork mineralisation highlighted by an 18.5-metre intercept at 2.4 g/t Au (GPS169A). The Ferneyside lode has also been delineated over a confirmed 150-metre strike length, with drilling concentrating on southwestern extensions and potential connections to the East lode.
Historical Stoping Areas Yield New Insights
Many of the higher-grade intersections are located adjacent to historical underground stopes, which historically targeted the richest shoots. This pattern suggests that while the highest-grade zones were mined out, significant remnant mineralisation remains between and around these areas. However, the extent and continuity of this mineralisation require further drilling to fully define economic potential. Aeris’s Executive Chairman, Andre Labuschagne, emphasised the growing confidence in these remnant zones and the geological model’s reliability as the program nears completion.
Path to Resource Update and Economic Assessment
With drilling progressing on schedule, Aeris plans to update the Golden Plateau Mineral Resource estimate in the first half of FY27. This update will underpin an economic assessment aimed at advancing Golden Plateau as a major ore source for the Cracow operation. The deposit’s proximity, just 1 kilometre north of the Cracow processing facility and within existing mining leases, adds logistical appeal. The historical production of approximately 850,000 ounces of gold from the Golden Plateau between the 1930s and 1990s provides a solid foundation for renewed development efforts.
Bottom Line?
Aeris’s drilling success at Golden Plateau is building a compelling case for resource growth, but the true scale of remnant high-grade mineralisation remains to be defined.
Questions in the middle?
- How continuous and extensive is the remnant high-grade mineralisation beyond historical stopes?
- What will the updated Mineral Resource estimate reveal about the economic viability of Golden Plateau?
- Could further drilling extend the known strike and depth of the North and East lodes?